Syria crisis: Rebels offer $25 mn bounty for Assad

Moscow: The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) has offered a $25 million reward for the capture - dead or alive - of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey`s Anadolu news agency reported Tuesday.

FSA commander Ahmed Hijazi said the money will be paid by supporters as well as by "Syrian businessmen working both at home and abroad".

The US said last month it had set aside $25 million for non-lethal aid to Syrian rebels.

The bounty offer comes as Western powers are looking to put more pressure on Assad to go.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, has warned that the crisis presented a "threat to the Syrian people, the region and the world".

Activists say around 23,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad began in March last year. The Damascus government insists it is combating "armed terrorist gangs" seeking to destabilise Syria.